This invention relates generally to media transport systems, and more particularly to sheet direction modules within such a transport system.
Paper transport systems within printing systems are generally constructed from custom designed units, usually consisting of heavy frames supporting pinch rollers driven by one or a few motors. One such system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,069 to Krucinski et al., which utilizes a plurality of copy sheet: drives, pinch rollers, and belts to transport paper through the printer system. Another approach is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,017 to Smith, which is directed to a system for avoiding inter-set printing delays with on-line job set compiling or finishing. Smith accomplishes this through the use of sheet feeders and diverter chutes with reversible sheet feeders, also utilizing pinch rollers driven by motors. However, because prior art transport systems are custom designed to meet the differing needs of specific printing systems, field reconfigurability and programmable reconfigurability are not possible.
It is an object of this invention to provide standard, mass produced, batch fabricatable modules consisting of standard subunits, which can be linked physically, electrically and electronically, from which any path for transporting flexible media could be constructed.